Cajun Shrimp and Rice (Easy One-Pot Recipe!)
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This one-pot Cajun Shrimp and Rice recipe is spicy, satisfying, and so easy to make. It makes a perfect weeknight dinner, because it is ready to eat in just 30 minutes. Learn how to make Southern shrimp dirty rice with this skillet dinner recipe that is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!
Why You’ll Love This Cajun Shrimp and Rice Recipe
You are going to love this hearty, Louisiana-style dish made with succulent shrimp, vegetables and rice. It is perfectly seasoned and bursting with piquant Cajun flavor, but is so simple to make. Best of all, everything gets cooked together in one pan. That means minimal cleanup is required to prepare this quick and tasty meal. ♡
How to Make Cajun Shrimp and Rice
Full instructions are included in the recipe below. But as a brief overview, to make this easy Cajun shrimp and rice recipe, simply:
- Cook the veggies: Sauté a vegetable medley of chopped onion, celery and bell pepper in a bit of olive oil and butter. These three vegetables are collectively known as “the holy trinity of Cajun cuisine”, as they provide the flavor base for the dish.
- Add the spices: Next, stir in a blend of Cajun spices and lightly cook them until fragrant. Gently cooking the spices allows them to bloom and release their aromas.
- Stir in the rice and broth: Add the rice and broth. Leave everything alone to cook, until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
- Add the shrimp and lemon juice: Add the shrimp to the pot and allow it to cook for a few minutes until it is pink, curled and opaque. Finally, give your rice a good squeeze of lemon for a bit of brightness and balance out the heat from the Cajun seasoning. Dinner is served!
How easy is that?! This is truly a fast and simple Creole-style dinner recipe that is absolutely bursting with flavor.
Where To Get The Best Wild Shrimp
I highly recommend only purchasing wild-caught shrimp, because it is much healthier and more sustainable than farmed shrimp. However, finding high-quality shrimp and other seafood isn’t always easy.
Fortunately, there are a handful of top-notch seafood delivery services that send wild, sustainably-harvested fish and shellfish straight to your doorstep. To learn about my favorite wild seafood delivery services online, check out this post: The Best Wild-Caught and Sustainable Seafood Delivery Services. In that article, I review, compare, and rank a bunch of seafood delivery companies (with some special deals and discounts just for my readers!).
More Easy Rice Dinner Recipes
Looking for more tasty rice dinner inspiration? Here are a some of my favorite simple rice-based recipes on the blog:
- Thai Curry Shrimp and Rice
- Hearty Chicken and Rice Soup
- Pineapple Chicken Coconut Rice
- Homemade Chinese Fried Rice
- Cajun-Style Chicken and Rice
If you make this Cajun Shrimp and Rice recipe, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating ★ below, because I love hearing from you! ♡
Cajun Shrimp and Rice (Easy One-Pot Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium pot or skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil and butter over medium heat.
- Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic, paprika, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the rice and broth. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Increase the heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is almost cooked through.
- Stir in the shrimp and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp is pink and opaque.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Notes
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I made this last night but added andouille sausage. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Amber! I am so glad you liked the recipe! Sausage is a great addition. You’re welcome!! 🙂
This recipe is great! I used chicken broth instead of vegetable and also added andouille sausage instead of shrimp. The spice is great and those who I’ve made it for loved it!
Hi Lauren! Yay! 🙂 Thanks so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I tried this last night and used both sausage and shrimp because my family is big on meat.. and they absolutely loved it.. thanks so much.!
Hi Krystal! Yay! I am so happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe!! You’re very welcome! 🙂
Into week 3 of cutting out added sugars and thought I’d try this as have been eating the same kind of meals since I started. Absolutely loved it, even though I left out all the spice as I don’t like spicy food it was still extremely flavoursome. May I just ask though, where does the 3g of sugar come from? Is it just from the white rice?
Hi Ashley! I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, the sugar comes mainly from the white rice. 🙂
What size shrimp do you use?
Hi Ed! I like to use large or jumbo shrimp, but really any size of shrimp will work in this recipe – that’s why I didn’t specify the size in the ingredients list. 🙂
Just made this tonight and my goodness what a good and easy recipe to follow! I added chicken to it for a little extra and it came out amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! My boyfriend and I truly enjoyed it!!
Hi Lisa! That makes me so happy! I am so glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed the recipe! You’re very welcome and let me know if you try any of my other recipes! 🙂
Can you make this less spicy? I can’t handle very spicy things & I’m afraid this might be too much for me but I would LOVE to try it! It sounds so good!!!
Hi Kelly! Definitely! To make this recipe less spicy, just lessen or omit the cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. The spiciness/heat in this dish comes mostly from those two ingredients. 🙂
Absolutely delicious meal. Thank you.
Thanks so much Kendra!
A very good recipe but came out a little spicy. Also my rice was not done within the 15 minutes. I think the next time I cook this, I will cook the rice all the way through and cook the shrimp separately and add it to the rice at the end.
Hi Martha, thank you for your feedback! If you found the recipe a bit too spicy, then you can just leave out the cayenne pepper or the crushed red pepper flakes, or you can omit both. Also, if you found that your rice was not done by the time you finished the recipe, you could just cook the rice for a few minutes longer next time, and then add the shrimp at the end. But it’s totally up to, I just wanted to provide my suggestions to you. 🙂
This is one of my go to meals! I switch the protein with chicken, sausage and have made my own changes over the years with the spices. I came back to reprint this recipe because my original recipe print is wrinkled, full of stains and almost ineligible to read! I’ve been cooking this recipe for over 6 years. Thank you for this amazing staple to our home!!
Hi Diana, what a lovely comment! Thank you so much for letting me know. 🙂 You are very welcome, please let me know if you try any of my other recipes!
Do I cook the rice before I add it to the skillet?
Hi Peg! Nope, just use one cup of uncooked white rice.